Health minister Alistair Burt met with leaders from the optical sector earlier this month, stressing that high-street optical practices can be a force for reform.
Burt, minister of state for community and social care, agreed practices could help the NHS to deliver reforms set out in the Five Year Forward View.
He said eye care professionals were well positioned to play a wider role in transforming health delivery with other primary care professionals and could help reduce the pressure on GPs and hospital care, such as A&E.
Burt said: ‘There is no doubt that some of the best examples I have seen so far from the Vanguards sites are where they are getting other professions involved in delivering care in the community to support general practice.
‘I sincerely hope that eye care and ophthalmology will feature in the new model of care within some of the Vanguard sites. I recognise that optical practices could play a wider role in delivering care closer to patients and that they can take some of the pressure away from GPs.’
He had been told by the optical leaders that the IT bid submitted by the sector to NHS England was critical to the secure sharing of patient records and that out-of-hospital care was dependent on this connectivity.
Responding on behalf of the Optical Confederation and LOCSU, ABDO general secretary Tony Garrett said: ‘This was a very positive meeting. We were pleased to have had such a productive and encouraging meeting with the minister. We welcome his interest in the sector and look forward to working with him.’
